Orange County NC Website
9 <br /> 166 <br /> 167 Kirby Saunders: You're exactly right. I'm probably not the most equipped to prepare to answer that question. I can <br /> 168 do it in my best professional opinion here and I think the correlation between density and the wild <br /> 169 and urban interface is really the focal point. Where those two areas meet and match. Particularly, <br /> 170 in areas that don't have setback distances or there are encroachments on a large tract of <br /> 171 forestland that's not managed. That would be a high priority area of high concern.We're not <br /> 172 seeing a lot of multi-family structures built without due regard to the existing regulations and <br /> 173 requirements or if they are closer than desired, they are in an area that's well protected. So, they <br /> 174 have a quick response plan, so the Mebane area would be a good example. I think the more <br /> 175 pressing concern, if we would start to see some of that development particularly occur in other <br /> 176 areas that may not, if something were to change drastically and they would start putting multi- <br /> 177 family dwellings in Cedar Grove,for example,that might be a little more concerning, because we <br /> 178 have a different topography. We have a different threat risk. I don't see that in the foreseeable <br /> 179 future. Changing things to permit that, but that would be an example. So,we monitor that as <br /> 180 closely as possible through the development process with our Safety Division. Our fire marshals <br /> 181 monitor that on a weekly basis with planning and inspections. I can't answer the question of how <br /> 182 that risk is calculated. The map you saw- I don't have the exact formula per se. But I would say <br /> 183 that in our assessment, there are not a lot of multi-family structures that are in a high risk wild and <br /> 184 urban interface area. We don't have that many wild and urban interface areas in Orange County, <br /> 185 and that is direct correlation of density and correlation to a forested area, a vegetative area. <br /> 186 <br /> 187 Whitney Watson: As a kind of a follow-up to that is Orange County is undergoing a future land use planning process <br /> 188 now, and I'm wondering how planning is sharing the information about potential areas of greater <br /> 189 risk, lesser risk, resource allocation. <br /> 190 <br /> 191 Cy Stober: We've used the same census data in our fact book that you saw in the risk assessment that <br /> 192 Director Saunders presented. We're using the data to guide our land use process for different <br /> 193 purposes, perhaps? But I think that what we're looking at are the same high-risk populations, <br /> 194 whether it's,we're talking about food access, access to employment centers, or accessibility of <br /> 195 affordable housing for rent or for ownership. Unfortunately,they correlate closely with where the <br /> 196 highest risk for an emergency is,where those populations have the least means to access a car, <br /> 197 access transportation to evacuate in a situation and, outside of the fire exposure,which is largely <br /> 198 in Northwestern Orange County, most of those same concerns are applicable to a lot of the other <br /> 199 land use concerns that we have about a community that is equitable, a community that is going to <br /> 200 serve everyone in the community and be accessible to those regardless of their income.Wish 1 <br /> 201 had a different answer, but we're using the exact same data but to different ends. <br /> 202 <br /> 203 Whitney Watson: Thank you. <br /> 204 <br /> 205 Kirby Saunders: And we use that land use plan, in a working close relationship with our partners in planning to <br /> 206 inform our strategic plans in the future of where we need to develop and grow resources, and we <br /> 207 look at,we model that land use plan in correlation to our demand data,where the demand is <br /> 208 coming from as we have emergent threats and changes in what we see in the emergency medical <br /> 209 services setting,from a population health perspective with Department of Health partners,that all <br /> 210 is layered together, and they match up, unfortunately, relatively closely, but we look at that quite <br /> 211 frequently as far as our future development and growth of the services we provide. <br /> 212 <br /> 213 Lamar Proctor: Any other questions? <br /> 214 <br /> 215 Beth Bronson: Yeah, I just had a quick question. Considering to that point,what comes to mind,we were talking <br /> 216 about the road widths. If there's a change in the turnaround in the cul-de-sac, has there not been <br /> 217 a change in the parking requirements recently through NC General Statutes? <br /> 218 <br /> 219 Cy Stober: No, I heard that story on NPR. That's House Bill 765, and it's in committee, and it hasn't even <br /> 220 made it to crossover, but that is the land use bill that is making its way through the general <br />